[Nintendo Switch] Review of Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade

Alright, so here we go. Let’s talk about this wild ride of a game called Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade. It’s from these folks at Game Source Entertainment and some crew named 7Quark. Not like I’d ever heard of them before this, but whatever. So, we’re talking about a Japanese-style fantasy roguelite RPG. It’s set during the Edo period, which, to be honest, always makes me think of those samurai flicks. But maybe that’s just me.

Anyway, picture this: a long time ago, people and demons were all living it up together in peace. Shocking, right? Then, BAM! In comes the Nine-Tailed Fox, who’s basically the head honcho of the demons, with his crew of evil spirits. All hell breaks loose, as you’d expect. But wait, there’s hope! Three heroes step up: Shigure, the Immortal Ninja; Sara, the Oni Emissary; and Taketora, the, um, Demon Samurai. Got a thing for samurai? You’re in for a treat.

Now, spilling the tea here, these 7Quark dudes went to Kickstarter last year. Like, “Hey, fund our game!” They wanted HK$400,000 but ended up snagging over HK$609,000 thanks to 700+ backers. You could say they did okay. The game was supposed to drop in February, then April, and finally landed on May 14 because, well, who doesn’t love a bit of suspense?

So, what’s up with these characters? Shigure’s immortal. For her, getting killed is just a bad day at work, which fits since this is a roguelite. Now Sara? She’s got a history. She was supposed to kidnap some Okami but biffed it, and now she’s stuck trying to redeem herself. Taketora is a tiger demon samurai – yeah, you read that right – and he’s on a mission to save his peeps. Might just be me, but he kind of sounds like my spirit animal.

The gameplay’s a mixed bag of chaos and strategy. Shigure’s got dual blades for all you action lovers, Sara’s quick and fiery, and Taketora is your go-to tank. Heavy hitter, solid defense – not one to knock. But fair warning, his dashes are like my grandma’s sprints: short. Maybe upgrade them if that’s your thing.

Controls are worth mentioning, I guess. Basic stuff: move, attack, dash, the whole shebang. They’ve got light attacks on Y, heavy ones on X. And because why not, you can switch weapons, do dash attacks, interact with random objects, and so on. Keeps things spicy.

As you hack through demons, you snag these things called Soul Orbs. They’re like mini power-ups with weird names, like Soul Binding or Moonlight. So, there’s plenty of room for mixing and matching, but remember they’re temporary.

Oh, this sounds important – permanent upgrades. Right after your inevitable failure (hey, we’ve all been there), you face this shrine. Dump resources here for perks like more revives or faster dashes. Also, they’ve got character-specific upgrades. Fancy stuff like shields and health boosts. Sounds useful in a “hope for the best, expect the worst” kind of way.

Quick sidetrack to the NPCs. You’ve got a tea lady who heals you up, a ramen stall for some quick nosh (boosts included), and challenges that can either ruin you or reward you. High risk, high reward. Typical.

Weapons? Ah, Demon Blades with fancy elemental powers. Collect bits, visit the blacksmith, boom – new weapons. They’ve got some crazy ones like Red Crane and Undying Cuckoo. If you love setting stuff on fire, Crimson Autumn’s your buddy. And sure, you could upgrade these too.

So, big picture? Yasha is this whirlwind of demons, heroes, and some age-old battle between worlds. Can you save the day or mess it all up? Choices, choices. Oh, and if this babble caught your attention, it drops tomorrow on the Nintendo Switch. Not that I’m counting down or anything.

Honestly, it’s just one wild rollercoaster you might want to hop on. Or not. Either way, hats off to Game Source Entertainment for stirring the pot with this one. So, there you go. My two cents on Yasha: Legends of the Demon Blade. Enjoy or ignore. You’re welcome.